LeBron James waves to the crowd during the Heat's championship parade June 24. / Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

The Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement released Monday that James' police escort through traffic for Friday's Justin Timberlake/Jay Z concert violated policy. The escort, near Sun Life Stadium, did not breach safety regulations but should not have been allowed, the department said.

"It has been brought to our attention that a video was posted on the Internet by LeBron James ... where it shows him being escorted onto the property of Sunlife Stadium for a concert on Friday," the statement said. "Upon further investigation, it has been confirmed that the Miami-Dade Police Department did facilitate Mr. James from one intersection to another, in the adjacent area of the stadium. This was not a scheduled escort and although all safety precautions were taken, the department has identified these actions as a violation of departmental policy. The Miami-Dade Police Department will continue to look into the matter."

James brought the escort to the attention of police and the world by posting a video of it to Instagram, which also showed up on his Twitter feed.

James, who has led the Miami Heat to consecutive NBA championships and won four of the past five NBA MVPs, received criticism on social media after posting about his escort. Most prominently, Minnesota Wild hockey player Jon Blum called the police escort a waste of taxpayer money.